stategovernmentsintheunitedstatesfandomcom-20200213-history
Bill Baroni
| birth_place = Jacksonville, Florida | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = American | spouse = | party = Republican | relations = | children = | residence = Hamilton Township, New Jersey | alma_mater = University of Virginia School of Law (J.D.) George Washington University (B.A.) | occupation = | profession = Attorney | religion = Roman Catholic | signature = | website = Legislative web page | footnotes = }} William E. "Bill" Baroni, Jr. (born December 10, 1971) is an American Republican Party politician and law professor who was named by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in February 2010 to serve as the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the nation’s busiest airport systems, as well as the PATH rail transit system, six interstate tunnels and bridges, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, marine terminals and ports, and the World Trade Center. The Port Authority has a $6.3 billion annual budget and has over 7,000 employees.via Associated Press. "Hamilton's Bill Baroni tapped for Port Authority job", The Trentonian, February 19, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2010. Before being appointed to the position, he represented the 14th legislative district in the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly. Early life Baroni was born in Jacksonville, Florida to an unwed Irish woman who came to the United States to have her baby. Catholic Charities arranged for him to be adopted by William Sr. and Geraldine Baroni of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey a few days later. The circumstances of Baroni's birth became an issue in 2003, during his first campaign for the Legislature, when the incumbent, Gary Guear, charged that he had lied in his campaign biography by saying he was a lifelong resident of Hamilton Township. When Baroni responded that he had lived in Hamilton since he was a few days old and told the story of his adoption, Guear dropped the issue.Sullivan, John. "Bucking the Trend, One Republican Got In", The New York Times, November 23, 2003. Accessed February 21, 2008. He received a B.A. from George Washington University in history and was awarded a J.D. from the University of Virginia.Senator Baroni's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 24, 2008. Political career Baroni became interested in politics as a teenager, working on the campaign of his hometown congressman, Christopher H. Smith, who was seeking re-election to his fourth term. He was a driver for Assembly Speaker Chuck Haytaian in his campaign for U.S. Senator against Frank Lautenberg in 1994 and worked on the advance staff for the 1996 presidential campaign of Steve Forbes. He served on the Mercer County Community College Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2003. He was a member of the Hamilton Township Planning Board from 1998 to 2000. In 2003, Baroni mounted an aggressive campaign for General Assembly, knocking on over 10,000 doors to defeat the Democratic incumbent Gary Guear.Walsh, Diane C. "Getting votes one at a time: Baroni builds ties with constituents", The Star-Ledger, February 29, 2004. Accessed August 10, 2007. "Knocking on more than 10,000 doors in Mercer and Middlesex counties helped Republican Bill Baroni win the 14th District Assembly race last fall when so many of his GOP colleagues were left by the wayside.... The hostilities from the fall campaign, when Baroni ousted Greenstein's running mate, incumbent Gary Guear, have faded somewhat. Greenstein's staffers even attended the meeting at Pierre's." He was re-elected to the Assembly in 2005. In 2004 and 2005, he was the Assembly's Assistant Parliamentarian. On November 6, 2007, he won election to become State Senator of the 14th Legislative District. He captured 67% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party opponent Seema Singh."Indian-American Chivukula wins New Jersey Assembly polls", The Hindu, November 8, 2007. Accessed January 21, 2008. Baroni filled the State Senate seat vacated by Republican Senator Peter Inverso."Inverso Leaving the Senate", The Trenton Times. Accessed March 28, 2007 There had been speculation that Baroni would seek the Republican nomination for United States Senate in 2008 against Frank Lautenberg,Star Ledger "People to Watch in 2007: Bill Baroni", accessed January 24, 2007 but his run for the New Jersey Senate effectively ended that speculation. In 2008, Baroni served as State Chairman of John McCain's presidential campaign in New Jersey. Baroni served in the Senate on the Joint Committee on the Public Schools, the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, the Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Baroni was the only Republican state senator who voted for a 2010 measure to allow same-sex marriage in New Jersey. On February 19, 2010, Governor Chris Christie announced that he was appointing Baroni to the position of Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He resigned from his Senate seat to assume the new post on March 1, 2010. At a special election convention on March 11, Hamilton Township Council President Tom Goodwin was selected to fill Baroni's vacant seat. Legal career Baroni was an associate at DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick & Cole, and then at Blank Rome. He was Of Counsel at Fornaro Francioso, a Hamilton firm. He served as chief counsel to Congressman Bob Franks in his 2000 U.S. Senate race. In 2002, when U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli withdrew his candidacy for re-election five weeks before Election Day after the Senate admonished him on ethics charges, Baroni argued for the Republicans in the New Jersey Supreme Court against a last minute switch of candidates to Frank Lautenberg.Supreme Court won't intervene in N.J. case: 'Let the campaign begin', CNN.com, October 8, 2002 Since 2002, Baroni has been an Adjunct Professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law, where he teaches classes on Professional Responsibility, voting rights, legislation, and campaign finance reform. Baroni served on the Foundation Board of both The College of New Jersey and Mercer County Community College. Baroni is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra and on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and on the Board of Trustees for Visitation Home, which builds homes for New Jersey residents with disabilities. Baroni is also a special advisor to the New Jersey Boys' State Foundation, and is a former delegate at Jersey Boys' State. New Jersey Boys' State Foundation Board of Trustees http://www.njbsf.org/php/who/trustees.php "Fat Kid Got Fit" Along with a childhood friend, Baroni co-authored "Fat Kid Got Fit, and So Can You,” a 2012 book chronicling Baroni's early struggles with obesity and his successful efforts to overcome the problem."NY/NJ Port Authority boss and ex-fatso Bill Baroni pens book 'Fat Kid Got Fit, and So Can You'", Trentonian, Published 21 February 2012 Baroni wrote the book because he wants others to know that his successful weight loss came from “being healthy and working out” and that other people could share similar success. References External links *Bill Baroni's Official Site *Bill Baroni's Constituent Services Site *Senator Baroni's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature *''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms'' **2007 2006 2005 2004 *Assembly Member Bill Baroni, Project Vote Smart *New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003 Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:American adoptees Category:American people of Irish descent Category:George Washington University alumni Category:Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Category:New Jersey lawyers Category:New Jersey State Senators Category:New Jersey Republicans Category:People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Category:Seton Hall University School of Law faculty Category:Port Authority of New York and New Jersey people